Irving w



(No Model.)

I. W. & A. FOX.

ABDOMINAL SUPPORTER.

Patented May 18 1886.

lflZ/CL 17 27 film/n N. FEYERS, Phclo-Lilhngraphnr, Washington, 0. 0.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IRVING W. FOX AND ALICE FOX, OF ILION, NEW YORK.

ABDOMINAL SUPPORTER.

$PEOIFICA'1ION forming part of Letters Patent No. 342,294, dated May 18,1886. Application filed March 20, 1886. Serial No. 196,977. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, IRVING W. FOX and ALIoE Fox, citizens of the UnitedStates, residing at Ilion, in the county of Herkimer and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in FemaleSupporters; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures ofreference marked thereon, which fdrm a part of this specification.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a representation of a front elevation. Fig.2 is a side elevation of the same.

Our invention has relation to female supporters for supporting theabdomen and clothing worn by women during pregnancy, to keep thepressure caused by the weight of the clothing worn from bearing upon theabdomen and the vaginaduring such time or times as the female may besuffering from any one of the numerous local diseases to which her sexis liable; and the invention consists in the construction and novelcombination of parts, as will be hereinafter fully described, andparticularly pointed outin the claim.

Referring by letter to the accompanying drawings, A A designate theshoulder-straps, between which the wearers head is to be passed whenputting the supporter on the person. These shoulder-straps A A areconnected at their front ends, which are three or four inches apart, bya short transverse leather strap, B, which is stitched or otherwisesecured thereto and afterward covered with silk or other suitablefabric, 0, to give it neatness in appearance and to render it morecomfortable to the wearer than if it were left uncovered. At the middleof its length the transverse strap B is provided with a short strap, D,which connects with a buckle, D, on the upper ends of severalspirallycoiled wires, E, which wires E are provided at their lower endswith a buckle, F, to which the upper ends of two woven straps, G and H,are connected, said straps resting one upon the other in said buckle F,and diverging after leaving the buckle F to the upper enlarged end ofthe abdominal pad I, to which they are secured. The stem or elongatedsmaller portion, J, of the pad I (which is of leather covered withsuitable textile fabric, K) extends back between the legs of the wearer,and extends also up a short distance along the spinal column, and isprovided at its upper end with a buckle, L, which receives and securesthe lower end of a strap, M, which strap M is connected at its upper endwith the lower ends of the connected shoulderstraps A A.

The several buckles and the straps connecting with them render thedevice adjustable, so that persons of different sizes may be fitted withit.

The straps A A are provided with an adjustable pad, N, which serves tosupport the clothes of the wearer at the front, and thus causes theweight of the clothing to come up on the shoulders of the person wearingthe supporter, thereby relieving the stomach and abdomen.

In ordinary cases of falling ofthe womb the vaginal pad, in connectionwith the supporter, will be sufficient; but in aggravated or severecases a moist sponge should be introduced and held in place by thevaginal pad.

For falling of the bladder, pregnancy, corpulency, or tumor in the lowerpart of the bowels it is not necessary to use the vaginal pad or thesponge.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we clairn,and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

The combination, with the shoulder-straps provided with the back-strapat their meeting ends and the transverse padded strap at their frontends, the pad N, the strap D, the spirally-coiled wires E, with a buckleat each end thereof, of the abdominal pad with the elongated portionextending rearwardly, and provided at its upper end with a buckle,substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof we affiX our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

' IRVING XV. FOX. ALICE FOX.

\Vitnesses:

HANNIBAL Fox, ANNA M. Fox.

